Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) funds are provided through the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). IMLS is the primary source of federal support for the nation’s approximately 120,000 libraries and 35,000 museums. The mission of IMLS is to inspire libraries and museums to advance innovation, lifelong learning, and cultural and civic engagement. Their grant making, policy development, and research help libraries and museums deliver valuable services that make it possible for communities and individuals to thrive. The use of LSTA funds in Connecticut is administered according to the Five-Year Plan (2018-2022) submitted to IMLS in June 2017.

Additional Sources of Grant Funding

Grants are available from many other sources, including Federal agencies, local foundations, banks, and businesses. Here are a few funders to investigate:

General

ArtPlace offers grants "designed to invest in creative placemaking projects that involve cross-sector partners committed to strengthening the social, physical, and economic fabric of their communities. ArtPlace America sees its role as providing support for projects that lead through the arts/artists, integrate with a community’s economic development and revitalization strategies, and have the potential to attract additional support."

The Greater Hartford Arts Council offers many different grant opportunities, including Artscape Grants "to community programs and projects that use the arts to improve the quality of life in our cities and towns."

The National Endowment for the Humanities offers Preservation Assistance Grants designed to help small and mid-sized institutions improve their ability to preserve and care for their humanities collections. These may include special collections of books and journals, archives and manuscripts, prints and photographs, moving images, sound recordings, architectural and cartographic records, decorative and fine arts, textiles, archaeological and ethnographic artifacts, furniture, and historical objects.

Danbury-based Praxair Foundation makes grants to support education, diversity, healthcare, environment and disaster relief, with priority to organizations where its employees volunteer their time and talent.

The Wish You Well Foundation gives grants between $200 and $10,000 to support new and expanded programs for family literacy and education.

Children/YA

The ALSC/Candlewick Press "Light the Way: Outreach to the Underserved" Grant consists of $3,000 to assist a library in conducting exemplary outreach to underserved populations through a new program or an expansion of work already being done.

ALSC "Curiosity Creates" grants help fund creativity programming in public libraries with $7,500 to encourage creativity for children ages 6-14.

The Ezra Jack Keats Foundation awards mini-grants of up to $500 to public schools and public libraries for projects that foster creative expression, working together and interaction with a diverse community.

The Pilcrow Foundation provides new, quality, hardcover children’s books to rural public libraries across the United States through a 2-to-1 matching grant.

The Ezra Jack Keats Foundation awards mini-grants of up to $500 to public schools and public libraries for projects that foster creative expression, working together and interaction with a diverse community.

The Neighborhood Assistance Act tax credit program from the State of Connecticut allows businesses to provide funding for municipal and tax exempt organizations, who can use the money for open space acquisition, an energy conservation project, or other programs. The tax exempt organization fills out a brief form, gets approval from the municipality, and then gets approval from the CT Department of Revenue Service. Local businesses can then fund the project in lieu of paying their state taxes.